Her Billionaire Bodyguard Bridegroom by Lisa Weaver

her what he hoped was a nonchalant smile. “Did you report your concerns about your apartment being broken into?”
    “No. I decided it was probably nothing. It’s just that I’m a ‘place for everything and everything in its place’ kind of girl, and I can’t shake the feeling someone’s been in my home and gone through my things. Crazy, huh? I told you I was paranoid.”
    “It’s not crazy. You’re prudent to be cautious.”
    “It sounds like you speak from experience.”
    He nodded, pausing for a second as he pondered how much to share with her. Decision made, he pulled the waistband of his swimsuit aside to reveal a thin, puckered welt running across his left hip. “This is my constant reminder of what can happen when you drop your guard.”
    “That looks like a scar from a knife wound.”
    “It is.”
    “What happened?”
    “I was on a camping outing with a group of Intrepid staffers. Our first morning there, I decided to go for a short hike before the others woke up. I figured I’d do a quick loop and be back in time for breakfast.”
    “You went alone?”
    “I edit a magazine that caters to outdoor enthusiasts. I do consider myself a seasoned hiker. Anyhow, I’d hiked a few miles out when I came across an older man sitting alongside the trail. He’d taken off one of his hiking boots, and he appeared to be in pain. I assumed he was injured, so I stopped to help. That’s when he pulled out a knife and demanded my wallet.
    “I would have gladly given him my money, but the odds were good he’d use the same ruse on other hikers if I left him there to strike again. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, so I disarmed him and called the police. Unfortunately for me, he’d concealed a second knife in his discarded boot. He grabbed the weapon and got a swipe in before I could subdue him.”
    “You could have been killed!”
    Luke couldn’t refute her statement. Had the attacker’s blade landed a millimeter higher, it would have sliced an artery and he would have bled to death before help arrived. It was the ultimate irony he’d been injured in the tamer of his two professions. “I got lucky,” he shrugged. “Anyhow, my point is that you’re prudent to listen to your gut. There’s no such thing as being too cautious.”
    “You’re right. But it’s a fine line between being cautious and shirking from letting yourself experience new things. I don’t want to be afraid of my own shadow.”
    “It sounds like you’re doing a good job of finding the right balance between taking risks and acting judiciously to me.”
    “Thanks for making me feel better about my borderline paranoia. Forgive my babbling. I think my blood sugar must be dropping,” she teased.
    “If you’re getting hungry, we could go grab a bite to eat.”
    “As wonderful as that sounds, I’m not sure I want to move. I think every bone in my body has quite happily liquefied.”
    Luke eyed a nearby pizza stand. He could make a quick food run while still keeping her in sight. “No worries. If you’re up for pizza, I’ll bring lunch to you.”
    “That would be awesome.”
    He was returning to Brianna—juggling a brown paper bag, a drink carrier, and two enormous slices of pizza on paper plates—when he spotted a heavy-set man in board shorts looking in Brianna’s direction. When the man pulled a camera out of the pocket of his shorts and began taking photos, Luke altered his course to intersect with the stranger.
    “Care to explain why you’re taking pictures of my girlfriend?” he seethed, playing the role of jealous boyfriend to gauge the stalker’s intent.
    The man’s face turned as red as the flowers on his board shorts. “Uh . . .” he stammered, “Other than her hair color, I thought she kind of looked like that heiress chick. You know . . . the one who was in the news a while back?”
    Luke’s furor subsided to a simmer as it became apparent the man’s motive for photographing Brianna wasn’t sinister.